Credit: NY Post
Pirates Cannot Weather Red Storm in BIG EAST Tournament Semifinal, 78-68
Published: Saturday, March 14, 2026
by Lauren Reese
NEW YORK, N.Y. - The No. 4 Seton Hall Pirates (21-12, 10-10) fell to the No. 1 St. John’s Red Storm (27-6, 18-2) 78-68 in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals. The Pirates were led by scorers Budd Clark and Jacob Dar, who each tallied 17 and 13, respectively.
The Pirates were coming off a tremendous 72-61 win over the Creighton Bluejays in a quarterfinal matchup the day before. Both Clark and Dar racked up 16 point-performances, but it was the latter player who was the most surprising.
After averaging about 2.4 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, the Rice transfer was a spark plug off the bench for the remaining 14:56 of the second half. Seizing his moment at The World’s Greatest Arena, Dar propelled his team to victory.
Meanwhile for the Johnnies, they headed into this game after a dominant 85-72 win over the Providence Friars, as reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor dropped 21 points and 10 rebounds. Alongside Ejiofor, Oziyah Sellers, Bryce Hopkins, and Ian Jackson each dropped 14.
It was bound to be a dogfight in this Hudson River Rivalry, but it was not the ideal start for the Pirates. St. John’s started off hot with an 8-0 run, forcing head coach Shaheen Holloway to call an early timeout. Ejiofor clearly made himself noticeable in the paint, being a bully and getting anything he wanted in the lane.
Fortunately, the Pirates found their way back into it a bit more after that timeout. Mike Williams was the one to get the scoring started for his team, with a quick seven points. But it would continue to be a back and forth matchup for the remainder of the half, with both Seton Hall and St. John’s running high-tempo offenses until around the last few minutes, where the Johnnies push the score to 38-30 at halftime.
St. John’s were aggressive in the paint and passing lanes, and while the Pirates were only down by eight, mounting a comeback within the Red Storm’s home court was bound to be a challenge for the visitors.
The start to the second half was practically déjà vu for Seton Hall, as they allowed St. John's to go on another 11-0 run. They continued to dominate in the paint as well as disrupt passing, playing with an aggressive type of confidence that overwhelmed the Pirates.
The lead for St. John’s grew to a staggering 19 points, and it soon became do-or-die for Seton Hall. In similar fashion for so many games this past season, the Pirates mounted a slow comeback to put themselves back in this one.
Dar, fresh off his remarkable performance against Creighton, came into the second half alongside Najai Hines, as off-the-bench assets that ignited the comeback attempt.
The team worked together to close the gap to just six points in the later stretch of the second half, but could not get over that hump. Almost every rebound or loose ball was grabbed by St. John’s, with players such as Ejiofor, Hopkins, and Dylan Darling having their way on the court, commanding both sides of the court for the home team.
Unfortunately, one of the most decisive factors of the end result had to be the fouls racking up for the Pirates. The Pirates ended 9-12 from the charity stripe, while the Johnnies ended a whopping 24-30. Late game fouls and free throws allowed New York’s team to coast ahead comfortably, dampening the Pirates chances of pushing ahead. After the second half of action, the Pirates ended up falling 78-68.
Seton Hall will now await to see which postseason tournament they will be playing in. Meanwhile, St. John’s will advance to the BIG EAST Tournament Championship, taking on the No. 2 UConn Huskies Saturday evening.
Lauren Reese is the Sports Director and can be reached at lauren.reese@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,